Against the Current - Chapter 245
Chapter 245 - Encountering an Old Acquaintance (Part 5)
Lin Dongwan smiled at Xianglan and said, "I was just wanting to have a chat with you, but the moment I looked away for a second, I couldn't find you anywhere. The banquet is about to begin, so come along with me." She pulled Xianglan toward the house. By this time, the theatrical performance had concluded, and maidservants and older female servants were carrying large, covered food boxes into the room. The tea, pastries, fruits, melon seeds, and preserved sweetmeats that had previously adorned the tables had all been cleared away, replaced with bowls, dishes, and soup spoons. The maids individually served two cold dishes from the food boxes onto the tables, while other matrons brought around warm hand-towels for everyone to cleanse their hands, all in an orderly fashion.
Several tables had been set up in the main hall, and Xianglan took her seat at the same table in the corner as before. Up at the front, Old Madam Lu of the Lu family had already raised her wine cup to offer a toast. Everyone's face was beaming with joy as they chimed in with auspicious remarks, creating an atmosphere filled with cheerful laughter and merriment.
Xianglan felt as though the clamor of the crowd was extremely far away from her. Having vented her pent-up frustration on Zhao Yuechan, the initial sense of gratification slowly faded, leaving a sudden, hollow void in her heart. She blankly picked up her wine cup and drank along with the others, the dishes on the table tasting like chewed wax. She simply poured and drank by herself; previously, she had never cared for intoxicating spirits, but now that her heart felt heavy, she clung to the wine pot, drinking cup after cup.
With a pair of slightly intoxicated eyes, she gazed around her at the noble ladies and young misses dressed in gold and silver, silks and satins. She thought of the old acquaintances she had encountered today: Song Ke, whose life was completely fulfilled and sailing smoothly on the tides of success; Zheng Jingxian, living in devoted permanence with the man she loved, surrounded by the joyful laughter of a cherished child; Zhao Yuechan, remarried to a prominent husband and basking in her own glory; and Lin Jinlou, wielding immense power, turning his hands to summon clouds and rain, fully enjoying boundless wealth, fine wine, and beautiful companions. Then there was Xiaojuan, carefree and content to serve as a humble maid, as if everyone else lived lives of dazzling splendor while she alone struggled and wandered in hesitation, standing as though completely alone in a sea of gray mist, with no idea where to go. Deep down, her clearest conviction was that she could never spend her entire life in the Lin household bearing the status of a concubine, yet as for what she ought to do, no one was there to pull her to safety or point out a clear path. Lin Jinlou kept her under tight, rigorous surveillance, and she still had a pair of aging parents to consider. She could only endure, persevere, and wait for her opportunity, making the days stretch out endlessly, with no telling when an end would ever come.
Xianglan drank cup after cup, thinking of the ancient saying that "a single instance of drunkenness dispels a thousand sorrows," wondering if perhaps a state of intoxicated oblivion could cast all her grievances and dissatisfactions far behind her. Right now, she wanted nothing to think about; she only desired a moment of release and comfort in the present.
Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind, pressing down upon the hand with which she held her wine cup. Lin Dongwan said with a trace of worry, "Oh my, just how much wine have you had? Your face is flushed as red as this."
Xianglan was already seven parts intoxicated. She simply looked at Lin Dongwan with a silly chuckle and said, "I'm not drunk; my mind is perfectly clear." With that, she tried to reach for the wine pot again.
Lin Dongwan hurriedly stopped her. "That won't do. If we were in front of my eldest brother, I wouldn't restrict how much you wanted to drink, but right now you're here with me, and my eldest brother entrusted you to my care. If you get drunk and cause some sort of trouble, it'll drag me down into the mess as well—you know what my eldest brother's temper is like." Wearing a coaxing smile, she took the wine cup from Xianglan's hand and handed it to Qiuye, then wheedled Xianglan, saying, "Come with me, I'll find a place for you to rest a bit and have a bowl of sobering broth. Walking around reeking of alcohol simply isn't becoming, is it?" As she spoke, she exchanged glances with Qiuye and Xiaojuan, and the two maids stepped forward to help Xianglan to her feet.
Emerging outside into the courtyard, they passed through the moon gate of the rockery, wound around a low wall, and came upon a remarkably tranquil and secluded spot. All around stood a dense embrace of emerald bamboo, and in the central clearing sat a cottage consisting of one bright central hall and two side rooms. Hanging above the lintel was a plaque inscribed with three characters: "Dicuiguan" (Pavilion of Dripping Emerald). Lin Dongwan pushed open the door and smiled, saying, "This place originally belonged to the eldest young lady of the household. Ever since she was married out, it's stood empty. The older women tidy and maintain it on a daily basis, so it's clean both inside and out. Where the water flows and the clouds stay is far too crowded and noisy; this place is the most peaceful. Good sister, have some tea to sober up from the wine, and the maidservants will bring over the medicinal decoction in a little while."
Xiaojuan asked, "What medicine?"
Lin Dongwan smiled and said, "My eldest brother sent his young page over to give me very specific instructions, saying that Xianglan needs to nurse her health and must take her medicine twice a day without interruption." As she spoke, she led the mistress and her maid into the Pavilion of Dripping Emerald.
The room was spotlessly clean with very little in the way of furnishings. Although the furniture remained, all decorative playthings were completely absent, save for a pair of vases resting on the long table in the main hall, which held a feather duster, peacock feathers, and similar items.
Having settled Xianglan in, Lin Dongwan departed, leaving only a young servant girl behind to attend to them. Xiaojuan dispatched the young girl to the kitchens to ask for a bowl of sobering broth, and went herself to the small tearoom to boil water and brew tea. Xianglan, having reached the stage of wine-induced warmth and high spirits, steadfastly refused to rest on the bed. Taking advantage of the empty room, she climbed up, put on her shoes, and staggered toward the door, intending to return to the banquet gathering to find more wine to drink.
Just as she reached the low wall, she unexpectedly caught sight of Song Ke standing there with his back pressed against the wall. A wave of violent palpitations struck her heart, and she froze in her tracks.
Song Ke was holding a folding fan in his hand. His stature seemed to have grown somewhat taller than before, and his whole demeanor possessed an elegant grace and a refined, breezy elegance, resembling a radiant, glowing pearl. Xianglan shook her head; she felt she must truly have consumed too much wine because she must be dreaming at this point. The surroundings were utterly silent, as if heaven and earth contained no one else besides the two of them. Xianglan's head felt dizzy and heavy, yet she thought how wonderful this was. Earlier, she hadn't dared to look closely at Song Ke, but here she could observe him clearly, locking his brows and eyes securely away in the depths of her heart.
Her heart hammered like thunder, and her fingertips trembled slightly.
Upon seeing Xianglan, Song Ke was equally struck motionless. As if unable to believe his eyes, he slowly turned around, and after a long, silent moment, he spoke in a hoarse voice: "Xianglan, you... have you been well?"
These words shattered the surrounding tranquility. Xianglan snapped out of her trance as if waking from a dream, followed instantly by an inexpressible wave of shame surging up to her heart. Countless times prior, she had imagined a scenario where she and Song Ke might meet again; she ought to have properly married a husband who studied the sage texts, knew how to cherish and care for others, and was gentle and upwardly striving. Even if she wore a hairpin of thorn wood and a skirt of coarse cloth with a humble family background, she could still hold her head high, smile faintly as she nodded to Song Ke, and say, "I am doing very well now." It should never have been like this moment: draped from head to toe in silks and satins, weighed down by pearls and kingfisher feathers, acting as a kept canary raised by Lin Jinlou—especially since her own sworn vow never to become a concubine still echoed in her ears, making this present instant exceptionally humiliating.
Clenching her teeth in forbearance, she offered a slight, shallow curtsy and said in a low voice, "Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts." She wanted to ask if Song Ke was doing well, but a lump seemed stuck in her throat, refusing to let her speak or swallow.
The two of them stood quietly facing each other in this manner, neither of them speaking another word.
Flowers bloom in two different places, each telling its own tale. To return to the matter at hand: Xianglan's stinging words had driven Zhao Yuechan to the point of absolute fury, leaving her hating Xianglan even more intensely. Yet, terrified that Xianglan might actually broadcast her previous shameful deeds to the outside world, she had no choice but to swallow her grievance, inconspicuously offering a few kind words in praise of Xianglan to the surrounding company. When mealtime arrived, she was still so angry that she couldn't swallow a single bite of food. She already suffered from a mild stomach ailment, and now the bloating and discomfort grew even worse. Reaching out to pat her pouch, she realized she wasn't wearing the one containing her medicine, so she stepped outside to find her maid, Qiongzi, and get a couple of pills to take.
Walking outside, Zhao Yuechan saw several banquet tables set up beneath the outer veranda, occupied by various influential maidservants. She looked around but didn't spot Qiongzi. Her eyes catching a fleeting glimpse of someone who looked remarkably like Qiongzi heading toward the front, she lifted her skirt and hurried in pursuit. Vaguely, she saw Qiongzi walking along, glancing frequently from side to side.
Zhao Yuechan thought to herself, "This girl has always been a top-tier cunning and sly creature with a high ambition and an empty heart. I've brought her to the Lu household twice before, yet I never knew she was so familiar with this garden. Where on earth could she be going?" With that, she stealthily followed behind. She watched as Qiongzi walked to a side gate of the garden, beside which stood a servants' quarters building used by the estate keepers. Qiongzi flashed through the doorway and disappeared inside.
Waiting a moment, Zhao Yuechan tiptoed forward, moistened her finger to poke a hole in the window paper, and peeked inside. To her shock, she saw Dai Rong pinning Qiongzi down; the two of them were completely stark naked and locked in an intimate embrace so tangled they could hardly be separated. Zhao Yuechan was utterly astonished, and then, covering her mouth with her handkerchief, she let out a couple of suppressed, snorting laughs. She thought to herself, "This little harlot Qiongzi is truly vile and licentious, actually getting up to this kind of business in someone else's home! If that man-eating tigress Madam Jiao finds out, she'll definitely flay her alive!"
As it turned out, back when Zhao Yuechan had gifted Qiongzi to Zhao Gang as a token of gratitude for helping her marry into the Dai family, Zhao Gang had taken in the exquisite beauty and grown very fond of her for a brief period. Before long, however, someone presented him with yet another gorgeous concubine, and he immediately tossed Qiongzi to the back of his mind. Unfortunately, this new concubine was intensely jealous and refused to tolerate Qiongzi competing for favor, so she cajoled Zhao Gang into selling Qiongzi off. Qiongzi, possessing a fair bit of cleverness, had wept and begged Zhao Gang to let her return to serve as a maid under Zhao Yuechan once more. Unwilling to part with Qiongzi yet reluctant to offend his new favorite, Zhao Gang figured that if Qiongzi was placed back with Zhao Yuechan, he could still visit her whenever he pleased without her ever leaving his grasp, and so he agreed. But Qiongzi was a woman of fickle, water-like nature; having once tasted the sweetness of carnal love, how could she possibly restrain herself? Meanwhile, Dai Rong, the third young master of the Dai family, was a handsome yet reckless rake. The two of them shared similar dispositions and had been exchanging glances in daily life, though they had never dared to make a move due to Madam Jiao's tyrannical authority. Lu Jian, the husband of Lin Dongwan, was a fellow rogue of Dai Rong's, and he had provided a convenient hiding spot right here in the Lu household. Dai Rong had sent his trusted personal page to pass messages to Qiongzi, luring her to this location. The moment the two of them met, it was like dry firewood meeting a blazing fire, and they had promptly stripped off their clothes to indulge in ecstatic rapture.
Seeing that the pair had reached a fever pitch, Zhao Yuechan slammed the door open with a kick, her brows locked in a fierce glare as she shouted, "This is outrageous! In broad daylight, what do you think you're doing!"
The shock frightened the wits out of the two of them, causing them to tremble violently all over as they scrambled in a panicked frenzy to grab their garments and cover themselves.
Pointing at Qiongzi, Zhao Yuechan cursed, "You little harlot, putting on a modest face while sneaking off here to steal away for a secret tryst! You worthless creature, beating you to death wouldn't be a waste!" Then, turning to point at Dai Rong, she cursed, "You shameless turtle, you prison-bound bastard, you come sniffing around for illicit romance right under my nose—have you no shame for your own mother's face!"
Terrified to the point of tears, Qiongzi could care about nothing else; she dropped to her knees on the bed and kowtowed repeatedly. Seeing that it was Zhao Yuechan, Dai Rong actually grew calm. He smiled cheekily and said, "Mother must take pity on your son. Charging in like this nearly frightened your son to death."
Zhao Yuechan spat, "Bah! Filth of the lowest sort, just wait until your father deals with you!"
Dai Rong hurriedly laughed and said, "Ancestor! My dear mother! This is a family matter; it really shouldn't be broadcast outside." As he spoke, he glanced toward Qiongzi, seeing her still kowtowing without stop while a pair of snowy, undulating breasts heaved beneath her chest. He couldn't help casting a flirtatious, suggestive smile at Zhao Yuechan and said, "Come to think of it, it's also thanks to Mother's expert instruction and cultivation that I found myself yearning for her."
Hearing these shameless words, Zhao Yuechan couldn't help letting out a sudden snort of laughter, though she quickly pulled her expression back into a stern mask. "You little turtle, your tongue is certainly greased with honey. If your wife finds out about this later, she'll come looking to fight me to the death."
Dai Rong laughed. "That's precisely why I need Mother to expend a little extra effort on my behalf. If Mother helps accomplish this for me, your son will sincerely and genuinely show filial piety toward your esteemed self."
Zhao Yuechan pondered for a moment, then said, "You shameless little turtle, put your clothes on and come outside to talk." With that, she walked out and stood by the doorway waiting. Faintly, she heard movement coming from the other side of the low wall, and glancing through the hollowed-out window lattice in the stone wall, she looked outside. At the far end of the stone wall, Xianglan and Song Ke were standing face-to-face, gazing at each other in a daze.
A jolt ran through Zhao Yuechan, and she immediately narrowed her eyes. She recognized Song Ke; during the period when this man had temporarily stayed as a guest at the Lin household, she had also held considerable fondness for this handsome and scholarly young man. Fresh and tender like morning dew on a bamboo stalk, verdant and lush, he was completely different from Lin Jinlou's imposing and aggressive aura. Yet why was that little harlot Chen Xianglan together with Song Ke...
Someone like Zhao Yuechan, who habitually moved in the circles of romantic intrigue, saw through the hidden implications with a single glance. At this moment, Dai Rong and Qiongzi emerged after dressing. Zhao Yuechan placed her index finger to her lips, made a "shh" sound, and lowered her voice to say, "I'll settle accounts with the two of you later for your scheming ways. For now, help me do one thing." After whispering a set of instructions, she sent the two of them away. Then, biting her lip in a cold sneer, she slipped into hiding to one side, waiting to watch the spectacle unfold.
Song Ke stared at Xianglan in a daze. He recalled the scene of their encounter at the doorway just moments prior. Xianglan had grown even more beautiful, yet every trace of the vibrant, glowing life she once possessed had completely vanished. Obedient and gracefully swaying as she stood by Lin Jinlou's side, she looked like a polished, decorative vase. He didn't dare look too long; the woman before him was no longer his. She would no longer stand beside his desk grinding ink and providing fragrant companionship, nor meticulously care for his daily life with gentle attentiveness and understanding, nor study his household account books while clicking away on the abacus with focused diligence, nor act shyly and coquettishly with him while laying her entire, genuine heart out before him. He had previously harbored a humble and brazen hope deep within his heart, praying that Xianglan might find it impossible to resist changing her mind and come back to find him. Earlier, Lin Jinting had sent him a letter fiercely cursing Xianglan for climbing up high branches, but he had persistently refused to believe it. Seeing her today for himself, he finally realized she had truly become Lin Jinlou's concubine. His heart ached painfully, as if a hand had reached inside to crush his entire being into a pulp. He scarcely dared to open his mouth, feeling as though the moment he parted his lips, he would blurt out the irreversible, doomed words resting at the bottom of his heart. He had merely forced himself to maintain his composure while exchanging pleasantries with Lin Jinlou. After leaving, however, he had used an excuse to visit the latrine, leaning alone against a secluded spot, covering his face with his hands, and weeping uncontrollably.
Back at the banquet table, Lin Jinlou had repeatedly toasted him with wishes of "a harmonious union for a hundred years," "flying wing-to-wing like mandarin ducks," and "blessed with the birth of a noble son," raising his cup time and time again. Song Ke had accepted them all, drinking cup after cup. He had little capacity for alcohol to begin with, and though others nearby had tried to advise him otherwise, he turned a deaf ear. It felt as though a ball of fire had been ignited within his chest, burning with an unbearable restlessness. The sight of Lin Jinlou drove him to an irrepressible frenzy of jealousy and hatred. Fearing he might lose his composure, he had slipped away from the banquet to clear his head, stumbling blindly and unintentionally into the garden, never imagining he would encounter Xianglan here.
"Young Third of the Lin family told me that Lin Jinlou treats you quite well. That's good, I..." Song Ke looked at Xianglan's pretty face and forced out the words with extreme difficulty, "I..." He could not continue; his voice was already choked with tears.
These few short steps separated them by thousands of mountains and rivers.
Through her tear-blurred eyes, Xianglan saw Song Ke reduced to a hazy shadow.
Feeling as though existence itself was worse than death, Song Ke could bear it no longer. He took a step forward, his lips trembling as he said, "There is something I wish to ask you. I heard from Junxi that when you were suffering from severe beatings and bedridden with illness, you once talked in your sleep and mentioned the 'Shen family'..."
Xianglan's heart instantly leaped into her throat. Her hands abruptly clenched into tight fists, her fingernails piercing deeply into her palms. As she watched Song Ke draw closer and closer to her, she heard a earth-shattering sentence ring out in a daze beside her ear: "Are you Jialian? Are you... my wife?"